Cunningham’s Track through Gwydir Country

In May 1827, explorer-botanist Allan Cunningham travelled north from the Hunter seeking an overland route toward what is now southern Queensland. Visit Gwydir notes he passed through the shire twice — outbound and on a different return path.

On the outward leg he travelled slightly northwest from Warialda and passed near present-day Coolatai. He named major waterways including the Gwydir, Dumaresq, Macintyre and Horton. Near Warialda he noted a structure he took to be built by escaped convict cedar-cutters with Aboriginal people — a reminder that European presence in the district may predate formal settlement narratives.

Roadside signs across Gwydir Shire still mark where Cunningham’s track crosses modern roads. The Bingara and Warialda visitor centres hold further interpretation.

Source: Visit Gwydir — Cunningham’s Track; Gwydir Shire town histories.